Elizabeth Wagmeister wrote:ABC is continuing ties with Marvel, this time for a comedy series.

The network has bought a script for a half-hour, single-camera sitcom that follows the overworked, underpaid clean-up crew of the Marvel Universe, Variety has learned. Currently titled “Damage Control,” the project landed a put pilot commitment.

According to the series description, the Marvel cleaning crew specializes in dealing with the aftermath of the unique fallout from super hero conflicts. They are the ones who are in charge of returning lost ray guns to their rightful owners, help to reschedule a wedding venue after it has been vaporized in a super hero battle or even track down a missing prize African parrot that’s been turned to stone or goo. Sometimes the most important super heroes are the ones behind the scenes — and that’s who “Damage Control” will follow.

The series in contention was developed by Ben Karlin (“The Daily Show,” “Modern Family”) who will exec produce with David Miner and Marvel’s head of television Jeph Loeb. ABC Studios and Marvel TV will produce.

Delving into comedy is a natural extension for ABC and Marvel, who have a strong partnership with successful dramas in “Marvels Agents of SHIELD” and “Agent Carter.”

lso in the works at ABC is a “SHIELD” spinoff, “Marvel’s Most Wanted,” which will revolve around Adrianne Palicki‘s character Mockingbird and Nick Blood’s Lance Hunter. The project landed a pilot production commitment. Additionally, “American Crime” creator John Ridley is developing a top-secret Marvel project for ABC.

“Damage Control” isn’t the only super hero comedy in the works for television. Over at NBC, a DC Comics workplace comedy in the vein of “The Office” has landed a pilot production commitment. Titled “Powerless,” that series is expected to see the likes of Batman and Superman.

Elizabeth Wagmeister wrote:The network has made a put pilot commitment for a new “X-Men” action-adventure series, hailing from writer Matt Nix, Variety has learned exclusively.

The untitled series will focus on two ordinary parents who discover their children possess mutant powers. Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family joins up with an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive.

20th Century Fox Television and Marvel Television will co-produce the series with 20th handling physical production. Nix will serve as exec producer with Bryan Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, plus Marvel’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory.

“Developing a Marvel property has been a top priority for the network — and we are so pleased with how Matt Nix has led us into this thrilling universe,” said David Madden, president, entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “There’s comic book adventure, emotional and complicated relationships and a rich, existing mythology from which to draw. With the brilliant production crew behind this project, it has all the makings of a big, fun and exciting new series.”

The project would mark the first Marvel series at Fox, which has had success in the comic book genre with “Gotham” and “Lucifer,” both of which hail from DC Comics. The network recently put a “Hellfire” series from Marvel into development, but Variety has learned that project is no longer moving forward.

“Working with Marvel on a television series for Fox has been a professional dream for our head of development, Michael Thorn, and all of us at the studio,” commented Jonathan Davis, president, creative affairs, 20th Century Fox Television. “Matt, Lauren, Bryan, Simon, Jeph and Jim are a powerhouse team of creative artists, and we can’t wait to get started on what will easily be one of this development season’s most exciting new projects.”

Loeb, Marvel’s head of television, added: “Marvel Television is thrilled to be co-producing with 20th Century Fox Television on our first project. Matt’s a huge fan of ‘X-Men’ and his take on ‘X-Men,’ with its rich characters and high-stakes adventure, is exactly the show we want on Fox. It’s a great team of creative producers who will be making something entirely unique.”

As for other Marvel properties, the studio has a large presence on broadcast, cable and streaming with ABC’s “Agents of SHIELD,” Netflix’s “Jessica Jones” and “Daredevil,” plus new upcoming shows “Luke Cage” at Netflix, Noah Hawley’s “Legion” at FX and “Cloak and Dagger” at Freeform. ABC’s “Agent Carter” was cancelled after two seasons, but the network is developing a top-secret John Ridley Marvel project.

The untitled Marvel project furthers Nix’s relationship with Fox. The “Burn Notice” creator is co-showrunner and writer on the network’s upcoming drama “APB,” which will debut midseason.

Molly Freeman wrote:The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a sprawling world of shared superhero adventures over the past few years, including 12 films and a handful of television series on both ABC and the streaming service Netflix – with plenty more movies planned over the coming years and other shows in development. Netflix kicked off their corner of the universe with Daredevil last year, followed by Jessica Jones; Daredevil season 2 arrived earlier in 2016, and the streaming service has additionally announced Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher series.

Although there is some crossover among the Marvel Netflix series – featuring cameos in order to help viewers get the shared universe feel – there is one specific character who acts as a bridge: Claire Temple played by Rosario Dawson. Claire has appeared in both Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and is confirmed Luke Cage later this year. Now, it seems Dawson will appear in another Marvel Netflix series.

During the Luke Cage panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Marvel Digital Media’s Ryan Penagos confirmed on Twitter that Dawson is currently filming in New York City for another Marvel television production. Since Iron Fist is currently filming in NYC, it would seem this is a confirmation that she’ll be appearing in Iron Fist.

Of course, since Dawson hasn’t been officially announced to be a part of the Iron Fist cast, this should be taken with at least a grain of salt. Certainly, considering The Defenders is expecting to film this year (and it’s unclear when production will start, or if it has started already), the tweet could mean her potential appearance in the team-up series rather than Iron Fist season 1. Plus, it’s already been announced that Carrie-Anne Moss will return in Iron Fist, reprising her Jessica Jones role as Jeryn Hogarth (Moss also appeared in Daredevil season 2).

That being said, Claire Temple is truly the character that ties Netflix’s corner of the Marvel universe together – she’s Netflix’s version of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Although she debuted in Daredevil season 1 – and was featured in a multi-episode arc as a friend/potential love interest to Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) – she also played a pivotal role toward the end of Jessica Jones season 1, and re-appeared in Daredevil season 2. Plus, since she will also appear in Luke Cage, it would seem strange for Claire not to show up in Iron Fist.

Still, Marvel is known for their secrecy and there has been little information about what to expect from Iron Fist. Even the new teaser for the series largely focuses on Danny Rand (Finn Jones)’s journey to becoming the superhero known as Iron Fist – with few supporting cast members making appearances. With Iron Fist set to be released in 2017, we may not learn more about the series – such as, whether Dawson will appear as Claire – until later this year after Luke Cage debuts on Netflix.

Daredevil season 1 & 2 and Jessica Jones season 1 are now available on Netflix. Luke Cage season 1 will arrive on September 30th, 2016. The Defenders and Iron Fist arrive in 2017. Release dates for Jessica Jones season 2, The Punisher and Daredevil season 3 have not yet been announced.

Fievel wrote:I enjoy the smaller, more intimate Marvel Netflix Universe much more than the increasingly bloated Marvel Cinematic Universe. And I do enjoy watching the MCU films.

yeah, the movies are fun but really like live-action cartoons, pretty light without much depth or real character development. fluff. the Netflix series are on another level when it comes to storytelling and developing real character arcs, they have so much more depth and resonance than the movies.

Kevin Melrose wrote:Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to comic books. He passed on Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern “in the very early, early, early, early stages,” and was brought in by his friend Robert Rodriguez as a “special” guest to direct a scene in 2005’s Sin City. Oh, and DC Comics is publishing a miniseries based on his screenplay for Django Unchained.

KATIE LEVINE wrote:Quentin Tarantino (director, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill) chats with Chris and Matt about going to Comic-Con back in the day, what movies inspired him as a kid, and how he turns everything he reads and sees into a movie in his head. He also talks about his process while directing and writing, things that almost made it into his movies, and what to expect with The Hateful Eight!

I went and saw Inhumans in theaters because I'm a chump and I can safely say that it's terrible. Easily the worst TV show that Marvel has ever made, even worse than Iron Fist. Just to paint a picture of how quickly it shits the bed for you, Medusa gets her hair shaved off halfway through the first episode.

Chris Evangelista wrote:If you enjoy watching Marvel shows on Netflix, you might want to sit down for this: in the future, new Marvel shows will air on Disney’s in-development streaming service, leaving Netflix in the dust. This is all part of a larger plan Disney has to compete with Netflix, which included their as-of-now dead deal to purchase a large chunk of 21st Century Fox. The bottom line: the era of Marvel Netflix shows is nearing an end.

When Disney revealed they were planning on creating a new streaming service of their own, it seemed almost a given that they would start producing their own original content for it – which they later confirmed they would indeed be doing. But what about Disney produced content that already exists on other streaming services? Namely, the Marvel shows that are so popular on Netflix? It looks like Marvel’s Netflix days are numbered. A report in the Wall Street Journal confirms that future Marvel shows will play exclusively on Disney’s streaming service. There’s no word yet if the current Marvel Netflix shows – Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, The Defenders and the upcoming The Punisher – would make the jump from Netflix to Disney’s service, but at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened.

The WSJ story also confirms that Disney’s as-of-now stalled plan to buy a large chunk of 21st Century Fox was tied directly to their goals of trying to compete with Netflix. “[W]e’ve turned our attention to the one platform seeing growth challenges,” Disney Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Mayer says in the article. “That’s the television platform.” The Fox deal would’ve given Disney control of a large portion of Fox’s TV shows, which Disney would’ve then presumably moved over to their upcoming streaming service. Mayer also says to think of the Disney streaming service “not an anti-Netflix move, but a pro-Disney move.”

Disney is clearly determined to come out ahead here, but the transition isn’t going to be cheap or easy. In addition to having future Marvel shows premiere on their streaming service, Disney is also planning to pull all of their movies currently on Netflix and bring them over to their own streaming platform. The WSJ states that this movie is going to end up costing Disney $300-million-plus a year, but Disney seems confident their gamble will pay off with fans making the jump over to their new service.

Netflix, meanwhile, is continuing on their own quest for entertainment domination, with plans to spend at least $8 billion in creating original content for 2018. That’ll continue the head-start they already have on Disney, who plan to debut their streaming service in 2019.

finished watching The Defenders, finally, and the reviews were fairly accurate. its not as good as the best of Daredevil or Jessica Jones, but it is not too far off and definitely worth the watch. i was surprised by the level of violence they were willing to dish out, for example, cutting off two main characters' arms during the course of the season. the first one, which was self-inflicted dismemberment, wasn't nearly so shocking as the second one which literally had me saying, "holy shit" out loud afterward. I wish they had spent more time with DD in the first half of the season so that the pay off at the end carried more weight, when it comes down to it the storyline is really all about Iron Fist and DD with Luke Cage and Jessica Jones tagging along. with the way the left things at the end i'll be curious how they handle the realization thatDaredevil didn't die in the new seasons coming out of other characters.